Evaluating a mentorship program for the Ghana Statistical Service

Context

There is growing global demand for robust and rigorous statistical data to inform policy decisions, detect process gaps, and prevent recurring issues. In countries with limited resources, high quality data and reports can go a long way in serving the public interest. In response to the demand for data, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) established a division dedicated to Public Finance and Policy to be a key producer of dataset for Ghana. However, statistical reports produced by the GSS are largely descriptive and lack rigorous analysis, raising issues about the capacity and skills of the GSS staff. Consequently, GSS developed a mentorship program to provide its staff with the skills required to produce public reports of high quality and relevance. Although mentorship training programs have been used in various sectors, there has been very little studies on the implementation and impact of such strategies in the public sector.

Study Design

This study evaluates a structured mentorship program executed at the GSS in 2024, where mid- and senior-level statisticians will attend workshops and seminars by academic and research experts in data analysis. The study adopts a difference-in-difference approach, comparing outcomes for GSS staff who receive the intervention to staff who do not receive mentorship. In addition to testing the statistical reporting skills of the participants, the researchers will also assess the level of acceptance of the mentorship program, and the factors that enable or inhibit learning in such a context. Questionnaires, interview guides, and focus group discussions will be used to collect data using Open Data Kit (ODK) electronic platforms.

Results & Policy Lessons

The results of this evaluation will be shared with the GSS and the Ministry of Finance, to inform decisions around scaling up mentorship programs in the public service. Results forthcoming.